By Ilissa Ocko

Happy Earth Day

The average household in the United States emits almost 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. That is about the same weight as 10 adult African elephants.

Earth Day is tomorrow, and at this time of the year, many of us are thinking about those kinds of facts. We wonder how we can personally help the climate by reducing our individual impacts.

A simple internet search will yield a laundry list of actions that may be overwhelming, and often will be far less than satisfying. You may find suggestions that are not indicative of the actual size of your impact (turning off your lights versus not flying from east to west coast, for example – they are not equivalent). You may also find information that is irrelevant to your specific lifestyle (for example, the recommendation to cut out meat when you are already a vegetarian).

Because each of our lives is unique (click here to see how carbon footprints vary by zip code), we really need to have a good understanding of our personal and professional impacts on the climate before we can determine good actions to take, and choices to make, to reduce those impacts.

Here is a table with some great resources, to help you get started:

The average household in the United States emits almost 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. That is about the same weight as 10 adult African elephants. Earth Day is tomorrow, and at this time of the year, many of us are thinking about those kinds of facts. We wonder how we can personally help […]

The post Take these first steps to lower your impact on climate change appeared first on Climate 411.

By Ilissa Ocko

Happy Earth Day

The average household in the United States emits almost 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. That is about the same weight as 10 adult African elephants.

Earth Day is tomorrow, and at this time of the year, many of us are thinking about those kinds of facts. We wonder how we can personally help the climate by reducing our individual impacts.

A simple internet search will yield a laundry list of actions that may be overwhelming, and often will be far less than satisfying. You may find suggestions that are not indicative of the actual size of your impact (turning off your lights versus not flying from east to west coast, for example – they are not equivalent). You may also find information that is irrelevant to your specific lifestyle (for example, the recommendation to cut out meat when you are already a vegetarian).

Because each of our lives is unique (click here to see how carbon footprints vary by zip code), we really need to have a good understanding of our personal and professional impacts on the climate before we can determine good actions to take, and choices to make, to reduce those impacts.

Here is a table with some great resources, to help you get started:

Last week, Restore or Retreat tested the notion of “seeing is believing” by hosting U.S. congressional staffers from both chambers – and sides of the aisle. After a whirlwind 32-hour educational field trip, we are confident our friends left believers in the importance of restoring Louisiana’s coast. Following a similar fly-in hosted by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana last fall, Restore or Retreat began working with our partners, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and Restore the ...

The post Congressional Tour Shows Staffers Why Louisiana’s Working Coast Matters to the Nation appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Last week, Restore or Retreat tested the notion of “seeing is believing” by hosting U.S. congressional staffers from both chambers – and sides of the aisle. After a whirlwind 32-hour educational field trip, we are confident our friends left believers in the importance of restoring Louisiana’s coast. Following a similar fly-in hosted by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana last fall, Restore or Retreat began working with our partners, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and Restore the ...

The post Congressional Tour Shows Staffers Why Louisiana’s Working Coast Matters to the Nation appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Last week, Restore or Retreat tested the notion of “seeing is believing” by hosting U.S. congressional staffers from both chambers – and sides of the aisle. After a whirlwind 32-hour educational field trip, we are confident our friends left believers in the importance of restoring Louisiana’s coast. Following a similar fly-in hosted by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana last fall, Restore or Retreat began working with our partners, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and Restore the ...

The post Congressional Tour Shows Staffers Why Louisiana’s Working Coast Matters to the Nation appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

By Jim Marston

I’m going to stay positive this Earth Day. I know that’s not what you might expect from me this year, but really, when it comes to America’s shift to cleaner, smarter, advanced energy, there’s reason to be optimistic.

1. Business is booming…

The advanced energy industry is booming. This includes everything from solar and wind power, to new energy innovations that are smarter and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, like energy storage, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and demand response.

The industry grew 29 percent in the last five years, and last year was worth $200 billion – about the same size as the pharmaceutical industry. Tesla – a sort of poster child for the advanced energy industry – just passed Ford Motor Company and General Motors in market cap. In fact, the company dropped “motors” from its name last year, a simple recognition that it’s far more than a car company.

1. …and that means jobs

There are now more than 3 million clean energy jobs in America, more than twice the number in fossil fuel extraction and electricity generation. Solar and wind industry jobs in particular have seen substantial growth in the past year, outpacing the rest of the U.S. economy 10 times over.

4 Reasons to Be Optimistic This Earth Day
Click To Tweet

1. States are moving forward, with or without Washington

There’s no doubt President Trump’s assault on American clean energy and water protections are dangerous. (I said I was going to be positive. But you can read about President Trump’s toxic agenda and EDF’s fight against it here, here, and here.)

But around the country, there’s been significant progress in the states.

Illinois just enacted the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), an economic development plan that puts clean energy jobs atop the state’s agenda. We estimate the FEJA will create thousands of new jobs and attract more than $12 billion in additional private investment.

California is conducting pilots of residential time-of-use electricity pricing, a new way of rewarding people for conserving energy during periods of high demand. These rates have been available to commercial customers for years, and California will soon roll them out to residential customers across the state.

Many states, including New York, Illinois, and Ohio, have embarked on aggressive reform of their energy policies that will modernize the electric grid and help make, move, and use energy more wisely, and with less pollution.

1. Most Americans want cleaner, smarter energy

That’s not an exaggeration. Across the country, conservative republicans and liberal democrats agree on renewable energy (if very little else):

• 83% of conservative republicans and 97% of liberal democrats favor more solar energy.
• 75% of conservative republicans and 93% of liberal democrats favor more wind energy.
• Among all groups, 89% want more solar, and 83% want more wind. The next most preferred energy option is more offshore drilling, at 45%. More than half oppose it.
• Nearly 60% oppose more coal mining.

In other words, the only place where clean energy looks partisan is Washington, D.C.

Stay positive and keep fighting

When it comes to fighting for clean air and water, I like to quote Dutch Meyer, who coached the TCU football team long before I went to school there. Environmental Defense Fund will “fight 'em until hell freezes over. And then we’ll fight 'em on the ice!”

But beyond defending our basic clean air and clean water protections, we have a long history of making progress even when progress seems impossible. The politics in Washington are discouraging, no doubt. But the world is moving toward a cleaner, smarter, advanced energy economy. And Donald Trump can’t stop it.

By Jim Marston

I’m going to stay positive this Earth Day. I know that’s not what you might expect from me this year, but really, when it comes to America’s shift to cleaner, smarter, advanced energy, there’s reason to be optimistic.

1. Business is booming…

The advanced energy industry is booming. This includes everything from solar and wind power, to new energy innovations that are smarter and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, like energy storage, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and demand response.

The industry grew 29 percent in the last five years, and last year was worth $200 billion – about the same size as the pharmaceutical industry. Tesla – a sort of poster child for the advanced energy industry – just passed Ford Motor Company and General Motors in market cap. In fact, the company dropped “motors” from its name last year, a simple recognition that it’s far more than a car company.

1. …and that means jobs

There are now more than 3 million clean energy jobs in America, more than twice the number in fossil fuel extraction and electricity generation. Solar and wind industry jobs in particular have seen substantial growth in the past year, outpacing the rest of the U.S. economy 10 times over.

4 Reasons to Be Optimistic This Earth Day
Click To Tweet

1. States are moving forward, with or without Washington

There’s no doubt President Trump’s assault on American clean energy and water protections are dangerous. (I said I was going to be positive. But you can read about President Trump’s toxic agenda and EDF’s fight against it here, here, and here.)

But around the country, there’s been significant progress in the states.

Illinois just enacted the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), an economic development plan that puts clean energy jobs atop the state’s agenda. We estimate the FEJA will create thousands of new jobs and attract more than $12 billion in additional private investment.

California is conducting pilots of residential time-of-use electricity pricing, a new way of rewarding people for conserving energy during periods of high demand. These rates have been available to commercial customers for years, and California will soon roll them out to residential customers across the state.

Many states, including New York, Illinois, and Ohio, have embarked on aggressive reform of their energy policies that will modernize the electric grid and help make, move, and use energy more wisely, and with less pollution.

1. Most Americans want cleaner, smarter energy

That’s not an exaggeration. Across the country, conservative republicans and liberal democrats agree on renewable energy (if very little else):

• 83% of conservative republicans and 97% of liberal democrats favor more solar energy.
• 75% of conservative republicans and 93% of liberal democrats favor more wind energy.
• Among all groups, 89% want more solar, and 83% want more wind. The next most preferred energy option is more offshore drilling, at 45%. More than half oppose it.
• Nearly 60% oppose more coal mining.

In other words, the only place where clean energy looks partisan is Washington, D.C.

Stay positive and keep fighting

When it comes to fighting for clean air and water, I like to quote Dutch Meyer, who coached the TCU football team long before I went to school there. Environmental Defense Fund will “fight 'em until hell freezes over. And then we’ll fight 'em on the ice!”

But beyond defending our basic clean air and clean water protections, we have a long history of making progress even when progress seems impossible. The politics in Washington are discouraging, no doubt. But the world is moving toward a cleaner, smarter, advanced energy economy. And Donald Trump can’t stop it.

By Jim Marston

I’m going to stay positive this Earth Day. I know that’s not what you might expect from me this year, but really, when it comes to America’s shift to cleaner, smarter, advanced energy, there’s reason to be optimistic.

1. Business is booming…

The advanced energy industry is booming. This includes everything from solar and wind power, to new energy innovations that are smarter and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, like energy storage, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and demand response.

The industry grew 29 percent in the last five years, and last year was worth $200 billion – about the same size as the pharmaceutical industry. Tesla – a sort of poster child for the advanced energy industry – just passed Ford Motor Company and General Motors in market cap. In fact, the company dropped “motors” from its name last year, a simple recognition that it’s far more than a car company.

1. …and that means jobs

There are now more than 3 million clean energy jobs in America, more than twice the number in fossil fuel extraction and electricity generation. Solar and wind industry jobs in particular have seen substantial growth in the past year, outpacing the rest of the U.S. economy 10 times over.

4 Reasons to Be Optimistic This Earth Day
Click To Tweet

1. States are moving forward, with or without Washington

There’s no doubt President Trump’s assault on American clean energy and water protections are dangerous. (I said I was going to be positive. But you can read about President Trump’s toxic agenda and EDF’s fight against it here, here, and here.)

But around the country, there’s been significant progress in the states.

Illinois just enacted the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), an economic development plan that puts clean energy jobs atop the state’s agenda. We estimate the FEJA will create thousands of new jobs and attract more than $12 billion in additional private investment.

California is conducting pilots of residential time-of-use electricity pricing, a new way of rewarding people for conserving energy during periods of high demand. These rates have been available to commercial customers for years, and California will soon roll them out to residential customers across the state.

Many states, including New York, Illinois, and Ohio, have embarked on aggressive reform of their energy policies that will modernize the electric grid and help make, move, and use energy more wisely, and with less pollution.

1. Most Americans want cleaner, smarter energy

That’s not an exaggeration. Across the country, conservative republicans and liberal democrats agree on renewable energy (if very little else):

• 83% of conservative republicans and 97% of liberal democrats favor more solar energy.
• 75% of conservative republicans and 93% of liberal democrats favor more wind energy.
• Among all groups, 89% want more solar, and 83% want more wind. The next most preferred energy option is more offshore drilling, at 45%. More than half oppose it.
• Nearly 60% oppose more coal mining.

In other words, the only place where clean energy looks partisan is Washington, D.C.

Stay positive and keep fighting

When it comes to fighting for clean air and water, I like to quote Dutch Meyer, who coached the TCU football team long before I went to school there. Environmental Defense Fund will “fight 'em until hell freezes over. And then we’ll fight 'em on the ice!”

But beyond defending our basic clean air and clean water protections, we have a long history of making progress even when progress seems impossible. The politics in Washington are discouraging, no doubt. But the world is moving toward a cleaner, smarter, advanced energy economy. And Donald Trump can’t stop it.

By Jim Marston

I’m going to stay positive this Earth Day. I know that’s not what you might expect from me this year, but really, when it comes to America’s shift to cleaner, smarter, advanced energy, there’s reason to be optimistic.

1. Business is booming…

The advanced energy industry is booming. This includes everything from solar and wind power, to new energy innovations that are smarter and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, like energy storage, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and demand response.

The industry grew 29 percent in the last five years, and last year was worth $200 billion – about the same size as the pharmaceutical industry. Tesla – a sort of poster child for the advanced energy industry – just passed Ford Motor Company and General Motors in market cap. In fact, the company dropped “motors” from its name last year, a simple recognition that it’s far more than a car company.

1. …and that means jobs

There are now more than 3 million clean energy jobs in America, more than twice the number in fossil fuel extraction and electricity generation. Solar and wind industry jobs in particular have seen substantial growth in the past year, outpacing the rest of the U.S. economy 10 times over.

4 Reasons to Be Optimistic This Earth Day
Click To Tweet

1. States are moving forward, with or without Washington

There’s no doubt President Trump’s assault on American clean energy and water protections are dangerous. (I said I was going to be positive. But you can read about President Trump’s toxic agenda and EDF’s fight against it here, here, and here.)

But around the country, there’s been significant progress in the states.

Illinois just enacted the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), an economic development plan that puts clean energy jobs atop the state’s agenda. We estimate the FEJA will create thousands of new jobs and attract more than $12 billion in additional private investment.

California is conducting pilots of residential time-of-use electricity pricing, a new way of rewarding people for conserving energy during periods of high demand. These rates have been available to commercial customers for years, and California will soon roll them out to residential customers across the state.

Many states, including New York, Illinois, and Ohio, have embarked on aggressive reform of their energy policies that will modernize the electric grid and help make, move, and use energy more wisely, and with less pollution.

1. Most Americans want cleaner, smarter energy

That’s not an exaggeration. Across the country, conservative republicans and liberal democrats agree on renewable energy (if very little else):

• 83% of conservative republicans and 97% of liberal democrats favor more solar energy.
• 75% of conservative republicans and 93% of liberal democrats favor more wind energy.
• Among all groups, 89% want more solar, and 83% want more wind. The next most preferred energy option is more offshore drilling, at 45%. More than half oppose it.
• Nearly 60% oppose more coal mining.

In other words, the only place where clean energy looks partisan is Washington, D.C.

Stay positive and keep fighting

When it comes to fighting for clean air and water, I like to quote Dutch Meyer, who coached the TCU football team long before I went to school there. Environmental Defense Fund will “fight 'em until hell freezes over. And then we’ll fight 'em on the ice!”

But beyond defending our basic clean air and clean water protections, we have a long history of making progress even when progress seems impossible. The politics in Washington are discouraging, no doubt. But the world is moving toward a cleaner, smarter, advanced energy economy. And Donald Trump can’t stop it.

I’m going to stay positive this Earth Day. I know that’s not what you might expect from me this year, but really, when it comes to America’s shift to cleaner, smarter, advanced energy, there’s reason to be optimistic. Business is booming… The advanced energy industry is booming. This includes everything from solar and wind power, […]

The post Four reasons to be optimistic this Earth Day appeared first on Energy Exchange.

It's been nearly 50 years since the crew of Apollo 8 redefined our image of the planet with the famous "Earthrise" photograph. In that time, satellites have taken millions of photos of eve

It's been nearly 50 years since the crew of Apollo 8 redefined our image of the planet with the famous "Earthrise" photograph. In that time, satellites have taken millions of photos of eve

By Glenn Watkins, Water Resources Campaign Coordinator, National Wildlife Federation It’s been seven years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I remember visiting Grand Isle in the spring of 2011, one year after the spill, and being shocked that I could still see the sheen of oil on the surface of wetlands and tar balls washing onshore. Now, seven years later, the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River Delta are still in urgent need of restoration ...

The post Seven Years After the Spill: Restoring the Louisiana Coast appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

By Glenn Watkins, Water Resources Campaign Coordinator, National Wildlife Federation It’s been seven years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I remember visiting Grand Isle in the spring of 2011, one year after the spill, and being shocked that I could still see the sheen of oil on the surface of wetlands and tar balls washing onshore. Now, seven years later, the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River Delta are still in urgent need of restoration ...

The post Seven Years After the Spill: Restoring the Louisiana Coast appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

By Glenn Watkins, Water Resources Campaign Coordinator, National Wildlife Federation It’s been seven years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I remember visiting Grand Isle in the spring of 2011, one year after the spill, and being shocked that I could still see the sheen of oil on the surface of wetlands and tar balls washing onshore. Now, seven years later, the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River Delta are still in urgent need of restoration ...

The post Seven Years After the Spill: Restoring the Louisiana Coast appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.